Blackwater Newsletter

From The Editor June 12 2006

In a university commencement address several years ago, Brian Dyson, the CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises, spoke of the relation of work to one's other commitments:
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, friends, health and spirit - and you're keeping of these all in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other balls - family, health friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. They become ruined. You must understand that and strive for balance!!
HOW!!!
Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself to others. It is because we are different that each of us is made special. Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Extravagance, greed and power are not in your best interest.
Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would life, for without them, life is meaningless.
Don't let your life slip between your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life!
Don't give up while you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop tying!
Do not be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don't shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.
Don't forget a person's greatest emotional need is to be appreciated.
Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless. It is a treasure you can carry easily.
Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift!

Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


	Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller

PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS

States setting up homeland security panel

Seeking a bigger say in homeland security decisions, the nation's governors are creating a new, 50-state panel to give the states a single voice on national plans to prepare for threats from terrorists and natural disasters.
The creation of this homeland security panel by the nation’s governors is an example of the frustrations being suffered by state homeland security directors. The AP article points out that the formation of this panel follows complaints registered in earlier in 2006 from a survey of homeland security directors. As discussed in the April 19, 2006 WAR Report, a survey of a majority of the homeland security directors indicated they were dissatisfied with: (1) the usefulness and specificity of intelligence sent by federal agencies to the states, (2) multiple burdens placed on National Guard units, and (3) the lack of preparedness for natural disasters. http://www.terrorism.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=WarReports&file=index&view=1221

Training for Law Enforcement Managers What Does Professional Military Education Offer?

By ROGER TROTT
The demands on law enforcement managers have increased as their agencies’ missions have grown more diverse and complex since September 11, 2001. New investigative priorities and programs and current laws, along with corresponding changes in policies and procedures, all place elevated demands on managers’ knowledge, skills, and abilities. Several aspects of a professional military education (PME) approach, combining the academic rigor of graduate-level education with a professionally focused curriculum, can help local, state, and federal senior law enforcement managers become better prepared to carry out their responsibilities.
While “warfighting” and “crimefighting” clearly are different professions, both military officers and law enforcement managers often operate in a similar environment frequently filled with uncertainty, crisis, and danger, as well as complicated by a considerable responsibility for the well-being of others. Success for both professions in these circumstances often depends heavily upon the thought processes, which must be timely, rational, and even innovative, and the capabilities of the person in charge. All elements of America’s strength, as represented by the military services, law enforcement agencies, and other civilian organizations, are needed to effectively protect the country from terrorists and support the global war on terrorism.
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2006/may2006/may2006leb.htm#page12

Cell Phone Technology and Physical Surveillance

By M. WESLEY CLARK, J.D., LL.M.
Rapid changes in technology often present law enforcement with questions as to how these advances fit within an already-existing legal framework of laws and cases. The widespread availability of the cell phone is no different. Law enforcement has been presented with an investigative instrument capable of augmenting tools used to assist physical surveillance such as traditional tracking equipment.1 Yet, the parameters for the lawful use of this technology to assist law enforcement are not yet fully delineated. The traditional statutory framework governing electronic surveillance does not provide law enforcement with clear-cut guidance. This article covers the use of the cell phone as a surveillance aid and the extent to which current electronic surveillance statutory provisions address this use. In addition, the recent judicial analysis of this issue also will be discussed.
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2006/may2006/may2006leb.htm#page25

BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

Marine Says Rules Were Followed

A sergeant who led a squad of Marines during the incident in Haditha, Iraq, that left as many as 24 civilians dead said his unit did not intentionally target any civilians, followed military rules of engagement and never tried to cover up the shootings, his attorney said.
Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, 26, told his attorney that several civilians were killed Nov. 19 when his squad went after insurgents who were firing at them from inside a house. The Marine said there was no vengeful massacre, but he described a house-to-house hunt that went tragically awry in the middle of a chaotic battlefield.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/10/AR2006061001129_pf.html

Army Meets Recruiting Goal Again

The Army said Friday it surpassed its recruiting goal for May, marking the 12th consecutive month of meeting or exceeding its target.
Before it began the streak in June 2005, the active Army had missed its target four consecutive months. And even though results improved during the summer months, it missed its full-year target for the first time since 1999. The Army National Guard and Army Reserve also fell short of their 2005 goals but are doing better now.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MILITARY_RECRUITING?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-06-09-18-18-31

ACLU Tries to Stop Warrantless Wiretapping

Critics of the government's domestic surveillance program claim it violates the rights of free speech and privacy. The Bush administration says it is necessary and legal. Both sides were due in court Monday to argue the constitutionality of the program. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060612/D8I6HQEG0.html

Meth Takes a Toll on Indian Reservations

Leah Fyten believes every family on her South Dakota reservation has been affected by methamphetamine use. The drug has torn apart these families, led to increases in crime and bumped mortality rates. And now, the director of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Housing Authority says
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060612/D8I6GDSO1.html

JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL


	TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND SUBMIT YOUR RESUME AND DD-214 CLICK HERE

SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL

A Dying Al-Zarqawi Tried to Get Away

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi could barely speak, but he struggled and tried to get away from American soldiers as he lay dying on a stretcher in the ruins of his hideout. The U.S. forces recognized his face, and knew they had the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060609/D8I4VN101.html

Authorities Release 200 Iraqi Prisoners

U.S. and Iraqi authorities released more than 200 prisoners Sunday in an ongoing bid to promote national unity, but that effort faltered as Sunni Arabs demanded more releases and the Shiite-controlled parliament locked in stalemate. Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060612/D8I6GK600.html

AU Struggles to Help Darfur Refugees

Armed with heavy automatic rifles and a rocket launcher, 18 African Union peacekeepers warily patrol Zamzam, a sprawling camp of thatched huts and makeshift tents where some 40,000 people have sought refuge from Darfur's violence. Their numbers were no match for the thousands of armed men in the area from a dozen warring factions.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060612/D8I6J7LO0.html

Bush summons war advisers for Iraq meeting

Encouraged by the death of a top terrorist leader and a new government in Iraq, President Bush was gathering his top military and civilian war advisers Monday to plan the U.S. role in the country’s future.
The president planned two days of meetings at the mountainous Camp David presidential retreat, with national security advisers on hand and top commanders in Iraq connected by videoconference.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13268742/from/RS.1/

FRANKS REVIEW

Service Equipment Review:

SureFire M900A Vertical Foregrip Light

When it comes to contemporary illumination tools for high risk environments, SureFire is probably the best known name in the industry today. Yes, there are other manufacturers making excellent products, but for variety and availability, especially when it comes to weapon-mounted systems, SureFire currently tops the list. Not that long ago I found myself engaging in another weapon-building project that involved an AR-15 carbine size rifle. I knew up front that I wanted it to have a weapon light but I wasn't sure what kind. After talking to various industry representatives, I acquired a SureFire M900A Vertical Foregrip light. I had previous experience with the SureFire M500 dedicated forend light, but I'd never worked with a vertical foregrip before.

The rest of the story: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/lights/sfqrm900a.htm

BONUS Service Equipment Review:

Revision Eyewear Desert Locust Goggles

Two years ago I had never heard of Revision Eyewear. At SHOT Show '05 I started to learn a little bit more about them. At SHOT Show '06 I saw a prototype model of their Desert Locust goggles and was intrigued. A few weeks back I received several pair for testing & evaluation and was quite pleased. Previously, Borelli Consulting had tested the Bullet Ant goggles from Revision, and we were happy with them. From what we'd been told by representatives of Revision, the Desert Locust was the "next step up" - an improvement upon their previous work. After I had received the Desert Locust goggles and worn them in various circumstances across the past several weeks, I can confidently report that they are excellent in performance and comfort.

The rest of the story: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/other/redeslocgoggles.htm

CHAPLAINS CORNER

TIME AND SPACE

The world we live in is not a kind world. It is populated by some very kind people..
but it is not a kind world. When I use the word, "world", I am not speaking of the
natural things that surround us, I am speaking of the humans that populate our
time and space and what we have to deal with in relation to how they act in our
immediate time and space.

During the early hours of this morning I watched a young man who was with three
friends. I observed closely as all three friends kept him from going past them
in one direction on the sidewalk while they were trying to contain him and herd him
in the opposite direction on the sidewalk. It was obvious that the reluctant young
man was drunk.. stubborn drunk at that. He attracted not only my attention but the
attention of three police officers. Their message was go home with your friends
and we will let you leave. Fail to cooperate and you will be arrested.. I watched the
three friends herd the reluctant young man down the block until he was out of sight
around the corner. All of the time he was resisting the friends and trying to go the
opposite direction.
For the rest of the story go here:
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2006/articles/061206chaplain.html

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